Update from the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
JOINT STATEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 22, 2022
In advance of the historic delegation of Indigenous Peoples to the Holy See, the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) and the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate are continuing efforts to ensure all relevant residential school records are available to Survivors, their families, their communities, and all Canadians.
As announced in December 2021, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate have agreed to provide the NCTR full access to residential school records which may be held in the Oblate archive in Rome, Italy. These might include letters written by early Oblate missionaries to Oblate leaders in France or Rome. Work is ongoing to arrange an initial visit to the archive this Spring by Mr. Raymond Frogner, Head Archivist for the NCTR.
The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate also continue to provide records to the NCTR on an ongoing basis from four archives located across the country. The Oblates have provided new funding for additional archivists, and to date has provided more than 40,000 records to the NCTR. Work is ongoing to identify and process additional files including the digitization and transfer of handwritten entries from Oblate missionaries, known as Codex Historicus.
The NCTR and Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate share a belief that a truthful account of residential school history is an essential foundation for healing for Survivors, their families and communities, and our nations.
The Oblates operated 48 residential schools in Canada, including the Marieval Indian Residential School in Cowessess First Nation and Kamloops Indian Residential School in Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation, and several others where unmarked graves have recently been identified.
These types of records are a critical component of the process that communities are currently undertaking to search former residential school sites, and may help to better understand the historical context of unmarked graves.
We will continue to provide updates on this important collaboration as work progresses.
About the NCTR
The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) was created to preserve the memory of Canada’s Residential School system and legacy. Not just for a few years, but forever. It is the responsibility of the NCTR to steward and share the truths of Survivors’ experiences in a respectful way and to work with Indigenous and non-Indigenous educators, researchers, communities, decision-makers and the general public to support the ongoing work of Truth, Reconciliation and healing across Canada and beyond.
About the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate were founded in 1816 by St. Eugene de Mazenod in Aix en Provence, France. The community arrived in Canada in 1841. After their arrival, Oblate priests and brothers worked across Canada and throughout the far north in a variety of areas including, residential schools, parish and retreat ministry, and hospital and prison chaplaincies. OMI Lacombe Canada Province is based in Ottawa, ON, and Notre‐Dame‐du‐Cap Province is based in Richelieu QC.
For more information:
NCTR: media@mediastyle.ca
OMI Lacombe Canada Province: information@omilacombe.ca
Notre‐Dame‐du‐Cap Province : provincial@omiquebec.com
